Feds raid medical marijuana shops in Montana
Federal raids hit medical marijuana shops around Montana Monday morning, causing an uproar in a community already roiled by high-profile attempts to regulate it.
“The timing is impeccable,” said Chris Lindsey, a Missoula attorney who specializes in medical marijuana cases, about the fact that the raids unfolded as a state Senate committee deadlocked on a bill to repeal the 2004 voter initiative that legalized marijuana.
I’d like to know the cost of these raids. I’d also like to know if this means Jason Christ won’t be around here anymore.
Here’s a link to one of the search warrants, courtesy of Americans for Safe Access. In email updates, the organization estimated the number of Montana shops raided at 10 or 12.
The warrant makes it sound like it can be difficult to recover material taken in a raid. You ask for something back. Legally, though, instead of getting the thing back, you can get an explanation for why the feds are holding onto the thing. (It’s not clear if “because I said so” is an appropriate response.)
In one raid west of Helena, eight people ended up in cuffs, according to this Helena Independent Record story.
So Ryan Morton, the answer to your question is yes. Thanks.
– Keila Szpaller
March 14th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
You know you’re my fav! Thanks for the coverage!
March 14th, 2011 at 10:38 pm
Jason Christ was at the Capitol today for the hearing on pot repeal – btw. All the hot gossip here at red tape!
March 14th, 2011 at 11:05 pm
[...] celebration of the mass here: Feds raid healing pot shops in Montana « Missoula Red Tape Tags: 2004-voter, chris, committee-deadlocked, fact, medical-marijuana, missoula, senate March [...]
March 15th, 2011 at 1:51 am
Think twice about putting your name on a list for a green card.
March 15th, 2011 at 5:20 am
[...] Feds raid medical marijuana shops in Montana « Missoula Red Tape [...]
March 15th, 2011 at 8:22 am
The fact is, Federal marijuana prohibition is ILLEGAL. When alcohol was prohibited at the Federal level, that required an amendment to the Constitution to be legal. There has been NO AMENDMENT AUTHORIZING FEDERAL MARIJUANA PROHIBITION. UNCONSTITUTIONAL IS ILLEGAL!
The Feds will continue to do whatever they like UNTIL WE THE PEOPLE PUT A STOP TO THAT!
Judge Andrew Napolitano Natural rights Patriot Act:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1P53wMbnsw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjhNZjanX9k&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n2m-X7OIuY&feature=related
March 15th, 2011 at 8:25 am
From: http://www.jackherer.com/thebook/chapter-six/
“Eli Lilly, Pfizer and others stand to lose at least a third of their entire, highly profitable, patent monopoly on such drugs as Darvon, Tuinal, Seconal, and Prozac (as well as other patented medications ranging from muscle ointments to burn ointments, to thousands of other products) because of a plant anyone can grow: cannabis hemp.
Isn’t it curious that American drug companies and pharmacist groups supply almost half the funding for the 4,000 Families Against Marijuana type organizations in America? The other half is supplied by Action (a federal VISTA agency) and by tobacco companies like Philip Morris, and by liquor and beer makers like Anheuser Busch, Coors, etc., or as a public service by the ad agencies that represent them. End quote.
Simply stated, the Federal Government is conspiring with pharmaceutical companies, alcohol companies and tobacco companies and is using unconstitutional Federal marijuana prohibition laws to insure that you needlessly buy products that have been proven beyond any shadow of doubt to be harmful and often deadly, instead of allowing you to legally grow and/or buy a nontoxic plant that is safe and effective. Meanwhile uncle SHAM, aka: uncle SCAM, forces unconstitutional healthcare legislation on you and threatens to severely punish you if you don’t buy mandatory health insurance.
‘If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.’ ~Thomas Jefferson
March 15th, 2011 at 8:27 am
No matter where you stand on the issue of legalizing marijuana everyone should read:
MARIJUANA AND HEMP THE UNTOLD STORY, Thomas J. Bouril,
WHY IS MARIJUANA ILLEGAL, Pete Guither
and the free online book:
THE EMPEROR WEARS NO CLOTHES, The Authoritative Historical Record of Cannabis and The Conspiracy Against Marijuana.
Click the links to those titles on this webpage:
Internet Explorer web browser: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/home
All Other Browsers: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/index.html
If you think marijuana prohibition has anything to do with the imaginary, false, fabricated, alleged harms from using marijuana as a recreational drug, YOU HAVE BEEN DUPED!
Put Ron Paul in the White House in 2012 or sooner! Search his name on youtube and listen to what he has to say straight from his own mouth! He represents We The people and the Constitution better than ANY Federal representative we have!
March 15th, 2011 at 8:42 am
jsknow — please use first and last names here — much appreciated.
Keila
March 15th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Where are the federal law nullifying tea partiers when you REALLY need them? LOL!
Also, do search warrants not have to document the reason (warrant) for the search and seizure? It seems like only fair, due process to document on the search warrant why it was issued…mostly because I can’t wait for the press release about why these raids happened. Gossip. Need it. Now!
March 15th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/assets/pdf/G1171771315.PDF
Try this link.
March 16th, 2011 at 2:38 pm
The reporting on the raids has been misleading, or at the very least deficient from almost all sources. Don’t forget how many hundreds of shops were not raided. It would appear that the Feds targeted medical marijuana providers who may not have been operating in compliance with Montana’s Medical Marijuana Act. It’s reasonable to believe that there are a few “caregivers” who may be tempted by the potential revenue from using their seemingly legitimate medical marijuana business as a smokescreen to illegally traffic drugs across state lines, sell to non cardholders, etc. The media has painted these raids as a Federal abuse of power inconsistent with the Fed’s past guidance. Based on the fact that the vast majority of medical marijuana businesses were not raided, it would appear as though the Feds are not cracking down on Montana’s right to implement the Medical Marijuana Act. Rather, it appears that they’re cracking down on those using the Act as a red herring to commit Federal offenses.
Unrelated to this story…When did it become the government’s responsibility to protect us from ourselves? If law abiding citizens want to partake in any activity or substance that doesn’t impose on someone else’s liberty and freedom, where does the Constitution give the government authority to say otherwise? Such a silly thing to waste billions of dollars on, when the government could be making billions in revenue were it legal and taxed. Not to mention the more than 22,000 deaths in the Mexican drug war over the past three years. I can always see both side of any argument, but in the case of marijuana prohibition I must be missing something. What good has marijuana prohibition provided the US and how could it possibly outweigh the death, cartel and gang violence, loss of potential revenue, and waste of law enforcement resources that prohibition has inarguably caused?
March 25th, 2011 at 11:37 pm
I’d like to know Ms. Szpaller’s reason for wanting to know if Jason Christ “won’t be around here anymore.” As all allegations against him–including the bomb threat–remain just that—allegations….it seems the long boring winter has left the Lee Enterprising staff itching for someone to, can we say in Lent, crucify? Since this is a perky site…a quirky site…a site for zip and zap, can we quote lyrics from J.C. Superstar and say, “He’s a man, just a man….”? I will say it again, if he was dealing with a certain Verizon store manager….god his or her self will forgive misguided Jason for loosing his hoodie cool J. K?